Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue support President Trump’s efforts to raise the COVID-19 relief checks from $600 to $2,000.
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are both facing a runoff election in Georgia next month. The seats they are fighting to hold particular importance since it will dictate who will maintain the Senate majority.
On Tuesday, both Republican senatorial candidates came out to show support for President Trump’s efforts to raise the amount of coronavirus relief checks from $600 to $2,000.
Loeffler, Perdue, Rubio and Hawley are for $2,000 checks
8 more Republicans needed if all Dems are yes.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 29, 2020
Although President Trump signed the bipartisan package last Sunday, which included the $600 stimulus checks, Trump asked for the more substantial relief package. The bill was promoted and passed the House on Monday night gained a two-thirds majority. This includes 44 Republicans.
The President demanded on Tuesday, “$2,000 for our great people, not $600!” Trump added, “They have suffered enough from the China Virus!!!”
In connection with this, Senator Loeffler also posted on Twitter, “I agree with [Donald Trump] — we need to deliver $2,000 direct relief checks to the American people.” She posted the Tweet two hours after Trump tweeted about the coronavirus relief checks.
Perdue also aired his concern and posted on Twitter, “President [Donald Trump] is right — I support this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people.”
President @realdonaldtrump is right — I support this push for $2,000 in direct relief for the American people. https://t.co/Al3USM7zPr
— David Perdue (@Perduesenate) December 29, 2020
Mass Lives also noted that for the $2,000 check measure to pass in the Senate, at least 12 Republicans have to join all the 48 members of the Democratic Caucus members. They also added the Republican Senators Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, and Josh Hawley to support the $2,000 relief checks.
In the previous week, President Trump slammed Congress over a coronavirus stimulus bill because of its allotted massive amounts on foreign assistance and its lack of direct aid to Americans.
In an address last Tuesday, Trump also stated that “Throughout the summer, Democrats cruelly blocked COVID relief legislation in an effort to advance their extreme left-wing agenda and influence the election.” He continued stating that a few months ago, Congress started negotiations on a new package to give the urgently needed help to the American people. However, it has been taking forever to pass, and now the bill that Congress is planning to send back to him is much different than anticipated.
The President said, “For example, among the more than 5,000 pages in this bill, which nobody in Congress has read because of its length and complexity,” he continued, “it’s called the COVID relief bill, but it has almost nothing to do with COVID.”
Then Trump listed down the amounts included in the so-called coronavirus relief package that is completely unrelated to COVID-19. Some of the assistance contained in the bill were as follows:
- $85.5 million for assistance to Cambodia;
- $134 million to Burma;
- $1.3 billion for Egypt and the Egyptian Military which will go out and buy almost exclusively Russian Military equipment;
- $25 million for democracy and gender programs in Pakistan;
- $505 million to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama;
- $40 million for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which is not even open for business;
- $1 billion for the Smithsonian;
- an additional $154 million for the National Gallery of Art;
- $7 million for reef fish management;
- $25 million to combat Asian carp;
- $2.5 million to count the number of Amber Jackfish in the Gulf of Mexico, a provision to promote the packages of fish in federal hatcheries;
- $3 million in poultry production technology; and
- $2 million to research the impact of downed trees; $566 million for construction projects at the FBI.”
Every Republican who voted for this dumpster fire of a spending bill needs to explain why illegal aliens are getting $1,800, while Americans are only getting $600. #RINO #DrainTheSwamp God bless @realDonaldTrump
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) December 23, 2020
The President also stated that the bill even allows stimulus checks for the family members of illegal aliens and enables them to get at least $1,800 each, which he said is far more than what Americans were given.
“Despite all of this wasteful spending and much more, the $900 billion package provides hard-working taxpayers with only $600 each in relief payments and not enough money is given to small businesses and in particular restaurants, whose owners have suffered so grievously,” the President continued.
He added that Congress allocated a lot of money for foreign countries, lobbyists, and special interests meanwhile, they are giving the “bare minimum” to Americans who are in need. He said, “It wasn’t their fault; it was China’s fault, not their fault.”
